How to Create Pen & Ink Photos in Photoshop

by Sue Stepp

Adobe Photoshop makes creating pen-and-ink images fast and easy. Use any image taken with a digital camera or scanned image for creating pen-and-ink line art. Turn the image into a black-and-white image, and add color to the black-and-white image within just a few minutes. When color is added to the image, it resembles a comic strip or graphic novel image.

1

Open Photoshop, and click "Open File." Find the image you want, and click on it. Click "Open," and click "OK." Wait until the picture opens.

2

Find the "Layer" tab at the top of the screen and click on it. Click on "Duplicate," and rename the layer. Give it any name you choose. Click "OK."

3

Click on the "Layer" tab, click "New Adjustment Layer" and click "Hue/Saturation." Change the saturation level to --59. This removes most of the color from the image.

4

Move the cursor to the copied layer, and click on it. When it opens, click on "Filter," click on "Sketch" and then "Graphic Pen." Move the tab under the words "Stroke Length" until you see the number 15 in the box above it. Pull it back and forth until you get the effect you like. Move tab under the words "Light/Dark Balance" the same way. Once the pen stroke length and light balance is right, click on the drop-down box by the words "Stroke Direction." Choose right diagonal, left diagonal, horizontal or vertical lines.

5

Roll the cursor to the "Layer" box on the right side of the screen. Click on the first box on the left side on the row with the duplicated image. An eye shape appears in the box. This shows the image is a visible overlay. Stop here if you want the image black and white.

6

Add color by double-clicking on "Hue/Saturation" in the layer box. When the window opens, change the saturation to 50. Click "OK," and color appears in the image.

7

Change the color level by clicking "Layer," then "New Adjustment Layer" and "Levels." Move the tabs under the graphics until the color adjusts the way you want it to. Click "OK."